Jen Shah: 'RHOSLC' star sobs in court after being sentenced to 6.5 years in prison for $5M fraud scheme
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: 'RHOSLC' star Jen Shah has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years, or 78 months, in prison for wire fraud that targeted the elderly. The $5 million fraudulent telemarketing scheme she carried out, stripped the savings of people in her target and got their credit cards maxed out.
Shah, 49, pleaded guilty in July 2022, linked to the fraud scheme where she allegedly duped the elderly out of millions. The court has ordered Shah to present herself on February 17 so that she can be taken to the prison. In the court, the TV star was supported and accompanied by her husband Sharrieff Shah Sr., their two sons, other relatives, and her therapist, according to the Daily Mail. Shah arrived at the Manhattan court wearing a beige outfit and accessorized the look with a leopard print bag.
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THE RISE AND FALL OF JEN SHAH: How 'RHOSLC' star went from big spender to big fraud
'Jen Shah is the boss'
In the courtroom on Friday, January 6, Shah was spotted sobbing while Judge Stein read the statement. The judge said, “Jen Shah’s role on the ‘Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,’ which I guess is why the courtroom is so full today, is just that, a role. People should not confuse the character she plays on an entertainment show with the person before me" per the Inner City Press.
Judge Stein: Jen Shah's role on the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, which I guess is why the courtroom is so full today, is just that, a role. People should not confuse the character she plays on an entertainment show to the person before me. Alright.
— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) January 6, 2023
“Every cooperator told us, Jen Shah is the boss. They all knew who she was,” said Assistant US Attorney Robert Sobelman, who represented the federal government and he added “There is not one message from her that expresses any type of remorse, not one. The defense hasn’t submitted any. That’s not how she felt even when she pled guilty,” following which Judge Stein referred to Shah as the "leader" of her conspiracy.
However, ahead of the sentencing by the court, Priya Chaudhury, Shah’s attorney said her client “regrets the mistakes she has made. She is sorry. She had faith in our justice system. Jen will pay her debt to society.”
The federal prosecutors submitted a sentencing note earlier on Friday morning before the hearing, requesting the court to issue 10 years in prison for the reality star. They wrote, “Victims were defrauded over and over again until they had nothing left. [Shah] and her co-conspirators persisted in their conduct until the victims’ bank accounts were empty, their credit cards were at their limits, and there was nothing more to take.”
MEAWW previously reported that the disgraced TV star's popularity dropped as soon as the housewife got arrested during the Bravo show's filming for season 2. Shah and her assistant Stuart Smith were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and for conspiring a plan of money laundering.